How Burlington Works

Burlington's next Town Meeting will be held beginning on May 12, 2025, in the BHS Auditorium. This May gathering is known as the Annual Town Meeting, where your representatives approve (or deny) the budget and most of the capital requests for the upcoming fiscal year. There will be no hybrid participation option except for Town Meeting Members with documented medical reasons, but the meeting will be broadcast on BCAT. This article contains the Buzz's Warrant Article Summary. You can also find more in-depth explainers on each category of Warrant Article in the dedicated Town Meeting section of the Buzz website.

That this article summarizes and paraphrases from public meetings and interviews, as well as the official documentation——the Warrant (the list of items up for a vote) and Backup (supporting documentation and justifications)—which can be found in the Town Meeting section of the Town Clerk’s website.

You can view the proposed FY26 budget for all town departments and 10-year capital plan and the draft school budget, too.

Please reach out to your precinct representatives with questions and input. Not sure what precinct you’re in? Click here for an interactive map. This Warrant Article Summary will be updated continuously to add summaries ahead of Town Meeting and to add votes and other pertinent details as Town Meeting Progresses.

May 12, 2025, Town Meeting

General Articles

Article 1 - Reports of Town Officers & Committees

This article allows Town Meeting to hear reports from town officers and committees. We'll update you as we learn what departments, subcommittees, and other agencies are planning to speak.

Financial Articles

Article 2 - Fund FY2026 Operating Budget ($186,997,456)

This article, which can take a huge amount of time to get through, is where Town Meeting goes through the budget book and has the opportunity to ask questions to each department regarding their budget. Town Meeting also approves the School Department budget, but doesn't go line by line like they do with the town's operational budget.

Article 3 - Authorize Revolving Accounts

Establishes how much is allowed to be in the town's revolving accounts, which are accounts related to a specific service or program that have both income and expenditures, and essentially fund themselves. Examples of this are the rain barrels, which the town buys and residents buy from the town, or the Ice Palace Improvement and Maintenance, which is funded by Ice Palace Revenues. At a certain point the excess goes into the town’s free cash, so Town Meeting Members are essentially deciding what that threshold is. You can find a chart of such accounts in the Warrant, and more detail is in the backup.

Article 4 - Fund FY2026 Capital Budget (mostly) from Free Cash ($6,096,000)

These are capital articles—one-time expenditures that will be funded from one place or another; this year, they're almost exclusively proposed to be funded from Free Cash. The Backup for each Article should contain a capital request with justification and a quote if applicable. If you have questions about any of these, check out that backup document. See below for a summary of each request.

  • 4-01 Police - Rifle Replacement ($60,000) - This article seeks to replace the police department’s aging fleet of 29 AR-15 rifles and 6 less lethal launchers, which are experiencing reliability issues due to extensive use and wear. Replacing all at once ensures consistency in training and readiness, avoiding potential risks from mixed weapon systems.
  • 4-02 Police - AED Replacement ($32,000) - requests $32,000 to replace 14 outdated AEDs (automated external defibrillators) in patrol and detective vehicles. The new models offer improved usability, real-time data sharing with hospitals, and better functionality in high-stress scenarios, including pediatric emergencies.
  • 4-03 Fire-Command Car ($91,000) - This article would pay for a replacement for the current command car, which has nearly 100,000 miles and has wearing and structural concerns.
  • 4-04 DPW - Drainage Repair/Stream Cleaning ($200,000) - This is an annual appropriation to fund drainage repair and stream cleaning throughout the town. The program, in place since the late 1980s, helps reduce nuisance flooding by removing sediment from streams and drainage systems.
  • 4-05 DPW - NPDES – Stormwater Retro-Fit Project ($400,000) - This annual article supports the town’s compliance with EPA-mandated stormwater regulations under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) program. The money will fund retrofitting efforts, primarily focused on upgrading parking lots with advanced stormwater treatment systems that improve water quality. While the EPA does not mandate specific performance standards, the goal is to make measurable improvements. The next likely project is the Pine Glen parking lot.
  • 4-06 DPW - Vehicle Replacement ($735,000) - This annual capital item funds the replacement of aging DPW vehicles, with this year’s allocation covering four units. Notably, an old 2011 cemetery backhoe will be replaced by a smaller mini-excavator and mini-excavator to improve maneuverability in tight, older cemetery sections and reduce potential damage to headstones and grass. Additional replacements include a dump truck and a bucket truck. The request includes a contingency to accommodate price fluctuations and lead-time uncertainties. Delays in delivery (sometimes up to two years) mean the department is requesting replacements earlier than they expect to need them.
  • 4-07 DPW - Vactor Skid Mounted ($40,000) - This article seeks approval to replace another aging piece of equipment used by the DPW. The current equipment is used primarily for cleaning water gates and other hard-to-reach areas like people's shut-offs and cleanouts.
  • 4-08 DPW - Water System Master Plan ($100,000) - This funding will pay for an updated engineering study of the town’s water storage and distribution system. Key objectives include evaluating infrastructure, assessing the town’s current storage needs, potential overcapacity (which can degrade water quality), and future demand scenarios. It will also verify system performance based on updated MWRA connections. The outcome will guide future capital planning and ensure optimal system efficiency and water quality.
  • 4-09 DPW - Greenleaf Tank Mixing System ($300,000) - This funding will support the installation of a mixing system retrofit in the Greenleaf water storage tank—the town’s largest and most critical tank. The tank's current single-pipe design leads to aging water and quality degradation, especially in warmer months. The retrofit will distribute incoming water throughout the tank’s height, promoting consistent mixing and improved water turnover and quality.
  • 4-10 DPW - Mill Pond Dam Culvert Gates ($150,000) - This article funds the design phase for the replacement of aging culvert gates at Mill Pond Dam, originally installed in 1970. These gates have not been operated in decades and may fail in an emergency, risking downstream flooding. The proposed funding will cover detailed design and engineering work to prepare for full gate replacement, which is anticipated to cost approximately $750,000 and be requested in the next fiscal year. In the future, the town would need to operate the gates regularly to ensure they work when needed.
  • 4-11 DPW - PFAS Clay Media Pilot ($220,000) - These funds would support a six-month pilot study to test the effectiveness of a clay-based filtration media for removing PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) from the town’s drinking water. Currently, the system, which opened in 2023, uses ion exchange resin, which is effective but costly, requiring replacements approximately every 18 months at around $1 million. Clay has recently been approved by the state as an acceptable PFAS removal medium and may offer similar performance at approximately a 30% cost savings. The pilot will use small-scale cylinders to test the media under both cold and warm water conditions. If successful, the clay media could be adopted during the next scheduled filter media replacement, potentially offering significant long-term savings. This time last year, the DPW received funds to replace the resin filters.
  • 4-12 Conservation - Vehicle Replacement (Hybrid) ($42,000) - Request for funding to purchase a second vehicle for use by the Conservation Department. Staff is often in the field inspecting construction projects and working with the town's waterways and conservation land, and a second car (which will be a hybrid) would allow for more efficiency.
  • 4-13 Recreation - Athletic Fields Improvement Program ($200,000) - Provides funding for various athletic facility upgrades including fencing, backstops, irrigation, and player benches to make fields more playable and accessible. Recent projects have included new backstops at Center Street and Rotary Field. Upcoming work will focus on rebuilding softball infields at Center Street and Rahanis Park.
  • 4-14 Recreation - Fencing, Walkway, and Tree ($50,000) - Covers replacement and renovation needs for fences, walkways, and trees across parks, playgrounds, and municipal properties. Current projects include walkway improvements at Wildwood, Regan Park, and Wildmere Playground, along with fencing repairs at various locations and tree work beyond staff capabilities.
  • 4-15 Recreation - Basketball Court Replacement ($150,000) - Will fund the renovation of the Rahanis Park basketball court by removing the cracked surface, regrading, and installing new paving, basketball supports, backboards, rims, and fencing. The renovated court will meet high school regulation size standards and include 6-foot fencing to keep balls from going into the woods.
  • 4-16 Recreation - Simonds Park Accessible Walkway ($100,000) - This represents the second phase of a three-phase accessibility improvement plan at Simonds Park. This phase creates an accessible pathway connecting the pickleball courts to the lower street hockey and tennis courts. The Simonds Trust has already approved an additional $25,000 for this project, bringing the total budget to $125,000.
  • 4-17 Recreation - Pickup Truck Replacement (R-11) ($105,000) - The Recreation Department would like to replace a 2015 Ford F350 pickup truck that has 92,000 miles, a rotting bed, and has required $28,000 in repairs. The new vehicle will be a Ford F350 with a utility body and plow package.
  • 4-18 Recreation - Toro Mower Replacement (R-14) ($150,000) - This new mower replace a 10-year-old, 16-foot wide area mower that has over 5,000 hours of use with two 12-foot zero-turn mowers that can be transported on a trailer. The new mowers provide better maneuverability, easier deck height adjustment, and will last longer by reducing road travel.
  • 4-19 Select Board/Recreation - Town Common Bandstand & Walkways ($350,000) - Funding to replace 11,350 square feet of asphalt walkways with concrete ones on the Town Common and renovate the gazebo. The concrete walkways will match existing ones installed previously that have proven durable. Gazebo renovations include replacing supports, railings, stairs, and adding an accessible walkway to the gazebo stairs.
  • 4-20 School - Curriculum K-8 Literacy ($578,700) - This article will provide funding for the elementary schools to purchase a new literacy curriculum, Amplify CKLA (Core Knowledge Language Arts); this is the result of a multi-year review involving district and school administration, teachers, consultants, and families. Last year, the district received around a quarter of a million dollars to support this review, and this article represents the next step in the process – implementation. It also includes a small allocation for piloting new materials from the Wit & Wisdom program at the middle school level.
  • 4-21 School - Green Communities ($276,900) - This would support installation of Green Communities building management systems at Francis Wyman and Pine Glen schools. This project, supported by a $250,000 grant, will control HVAC equipment and improve energy efficiency.
  • 4-22 School - Building Envelope and Vestibule ($335,000) - This article would fund a secure vestibule at Francis Wyman School. Currently, visitors who are buzzed into the building have full access, creating a security concern. The proposed vestibule would create a two-step entry process where visitors would be stopped in a secure area before gaining access to the main building. Note: This article initially was for both Francis Wyman and Pine Glen, but the School Department opted to postpone the request for Pine Glen.
  • 4-23 School - Network Equipment ($637,200) - This covers the schools' portion of a town-wide network refresh, with discounted rates for equipment through the federal E-rate program.
  • 4-24 School - Security Upgrades ($54,800) - This is for upgrades to the computer control unit for the emergency response buttons at the schools, most of which are 10+ years old. Burlington Police Captain Dan Hanafin explained that this system complements the phone-based emergency system but serves a different purpose.
  • 4-25 School - Tree Maintenance ($50,000) - This article would allocate cash for school tree maintenance to address trees that pose imminent safety hazards on school properties.
  • 4-26 School - Boiler Room Maintenance ($69,900) - This would fund boiler room maintenance at Pine Glen, including replacing a circulator pump and expansion tank, as well as some asbestos abatement.
  • 4-27 School - HVAC Maintenance ($753,500) - This article would provide HVAC equipment at Francis Wyman, including a large unit for the cafeteria and mini-splits for music and art rooms.
  • 4-28 School - Middle School Furniture ($101,000) - This article would fund furniture replacement at Marshall Simons, including library renovations to create more flexible learning spaces.
  • 4-29 School - Scoreboards and Technology ($99,000) - This would provide for replacement of high school scoreboards in the wooden gym, rubber gym, and varsity field, along with new speakers.

Article 5 - Acceptance of Chapter 90 Funds ($1,399,206.67)

This article authorizes the acceptance of Chapter 90 funds from the state for road and infrastructure projects.

Article 6 - MWRA Sewer Inflow/Infiltration Debt Service ($107,975)

This is to pay back loans from MWRA to help limit our inflow and infiltration problems with the sewer system. Ideally the only water in the sewer pipes would be sewage. Unfortunately sewer systems end up with inflow (water put there illegally - think sump pumps piped into a home's sewer line) and infiltration (water that gets in the system when ground water leaks in through cracks or old porous cement pipes). All of our sewage goes into a larger pipe in Woburn, and from there to Deer Island in the Harbor. There is a meter at the Woburn line and we get charged for every gallon of water/sewage that crosses into Woburn. So we pay to treat storm water. The state requires we try to remediate I/I problems to limit stress on the system and to prevent waste. The MWRA offers a program where we borrow money at 0% interest, then they grant us 75% of the amount borrowed and we pay back the 25% over 10 years at 0%. This annual article pays that loan payment

Article 7 - Sewer Enterprise Fund ($6,585,000)

Annual article to pay for the town's sewer usage.

Article 8 - Transfer from Water Stabilization Fund ($1,586,954)

This article authorizes transferring funds from the Water Stabilization Fund to offset increases in the operating budget, a process designed to balance the revenue and expenses from the Massachusetts Water Resource Authority (MWRA) water connection project.

Article 9 - Sewer Vactor ($790,000)

This article requests the use of free cash to fund the purchase of a sewer vactor, a large machine used for sewer maintenance.

Article 10 - Town Hall and Annex HVAC Upgrades ($5,300,000)

This article authorizes a bond to fund HVAC and generator upgrades for both Town Hall and the Annex, addressing the age of existing equipment and ensuring the buildings are adequately heated and cooled.

Article 11 - Water Meter Replacement Program ($1,000,000)

This article funds year one of a multi-year plan to replace outdated water meters, using $1 million from free cash to start the process and evaluate the project's scope. This is a follow-up to an article from last year which requested funds to design the program.

Article 12 - Water Main Upgrade/Replacement ($1,500,000)

These funds would go toward replacing aging water mains, with a focus on high-priority areas identified in the town's infrastructure plans, funded through free cash.

Article 13 - Inflow/Infiltration - MWRA Phase 16 ($1,432,000)

This article authorizes borrowing to fund a 75% grant and 25% loan for Phase 16 of the MWRA Sewer I&I project, to reduce excess stormwater infiltration into the sewer system.

Article 14 - Transfer from Receipts Reserved Account for Ambulance Services-Purchase Ambulance ($615,000)

This article will allow the town to use receipts reserved to purchase a new ambulance and place the current ambulance in rotation as Ambulance 2, as well as 2 stretchers, 2 stair chairs, 1 chest compression device and 3 automatic external defibrillators to replace older ones.

Article 15 - Transfer from Receipts Reserved for Ambulance Service Fund-Offset FY26 Budget ($360,000)

This transfer from the Receipts Reserved Account for Ambulance Services will offset the public safety budget using revenue from ambulance calls.

Article 16 - Cable Access Enterprise Fund ($550,000)

There’s a fee on each cable bill that then goes to fund community programming, so this article transfers those fees to BCAT because they provide our community programming.

Articles 17-22 relate to negotiated contracts and compensation plans. Some were settled as of warrant completion; while the town is hopeful the rest will be settled prior to Town Meeting, often one or more article is postponed until September as negotiations continue. These articles are the result of union negotiations and therefore funded from the Negotiated Settlements account; they do not affect the operating budget.

Article 17 - Fund Administrative & Professional Compensation Plan ($208,714)

Highlights: 1-year contract with no changes to language and a 3.5% wage adjustment.

Article 18 - Fund Burlington Municipal Employees’ Association Contract ($250,278)

Highlights: 3-year contract with a 3.5% wage adjustment, formalizing position grades, allowing for electronic sharing of materials rather than print.

Article 19 - Fund Department of Public Works Contract ($143,833)

Highlights: 3-year contract with a 3.5% wage adjustment, formalizing position grades, adjusting summer hours of operation, updated language for division names, allowing external and internal job postings to happen simultaneously.

Article 20 - Fund Burlington International Firefighters’ Association Contract (TBD)

Not yet settled.

Article 21 - Fund Burlington Police Patrolmen’s Association Contract (TBD)

Not yet settled.

Article 22 - Fund Burlington Police Command Officers’ Contract (TBD)

Not yet settled.

Article 23 - Will of Marshall Simonds ($73,762.09)

In which the town gratefully accepts a sum from the will of Marshall Simonds to maintain Simonds Park.

Article 24 - Fourth of July Parade ($20,000)

Article 25 - School Community Facility Usage Support ($74,783)

This article, passed last year at just over $50k, will fund custodial coverage when community groups, such as the Scouts and other "non-profit civic organizations" use school facilities outside normal hours.

Article 26 - Middle School Field Renovation Phase 2 ($1,710,000)

This is the second part of an article that was amended last year and approved. Phase one to create a new turf field where the grass field currently sits, is currently in the design and approval phases. The second phase of the project will includes resurfacing the track and replacing the existing turf field.

Article 27 - Middle School Field Bathrooms ($1,650,000)

This would provide for bathrooms at the Marshall Simonds fields.

General Articles

Article 28 - Accepting an Easement for the Fire Hydrant at 180 Cambridge Street

To accept an easement of approximately 48 square feet so the town can access and maintain a fire hydrant placed in 2003.

General Bylaw Articles

Article 29 - Renaming a Revolving Fund

This update will change the name of a revolving fund from "B-line mini bus" to "Local Transportation." The B-line local bus is no longer operational.

Article 30 - Amend and Rename Stormwater and Erosion and Sedimentation Control Bylaw

This article would separate the stormwater bylaw into a bylaw and a set of regulations. The bylaw would give the Conservation Commission the authority to administer the regulations, which contain the details and specifics and are more easily adjusted when needed. Currently, everything is rolled in the bylaw, and even minor changes require a Town Meeting vote. Splitting out the regulations would allow changes to happen by public hearing, giving the Conservation more flexibility.

Article 31 - Amend Article V – Authorities, Commissions, and Committees

This would add two resident non-voting Associate Commissioners to the Conservation Commission.

Article 32 - Home Rule Petition to Amend Chapter 686 of the Acts of 1970, as Amended-An Act to Add a New Paragraph, Section 12(h)- Town Meeting Accessibility

Article 33 - Create AD Hoc Implementation Committee for the Electronic Voting System Implementation Committee (EVSIC)

Zoning Bylaw Articles

Article 34 - Amend Article VIII, Section 8.1, 100-Year Floodplain District

This updates some dates and addresses in the town's floodplain bylaw so homeowners can continue to get flood insurance.

Article 35 - Zoning Use Table Advancement

This proposes to align the use table to ensure consistency and promote ease of enforcement for zoning bylaws.

Stay tuned to the Buzz for updates to this Warrant Article Summary and for vote updates as Town Meeting goes on.

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